"Mid-Term Break" by Seamus Heaney - review

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Mid-Term Break

        “Mid-Term Break” by Seamus Heaney is a very powerful and tear-jerking poem. The effect the poem had on me was that it was very touching and moving. I will be discussing about how the poet’s use of devices such as structure, word choice, imagery and sound had an impact on me.

        The poem is about a tragic car accident that took the life of a little boy. His brother, who narrates the poem, is away at college and sees his younger brother for the first time in six weeks but also for the very last time. The death of his brother happened in an instant and was a shock to the whole family. It also deals with the experiences they go through.

        The title of the poem had an impact upon me. The title “Mid-term Break” suggests a holiday from school or from work. Something which is supposed to be exciting and fun but this “Break” does not happen for pleasant reasons. It is actually about the death of a younger brother and the break of a family. This would definitely be classified as a holiday to a child. The information throughout the poem is controlled so that the last stanza would have a great impact upon the reader. The opening verse also had an impact upon me.

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        Heaney uses imagery to set the tone of the poem. The opening verse of the poem sets the tone to be very neutral. Heaney says “I sat all morning in the college sick bay/ counting bells knelling classes to a close. At two o` clock our neighbours drove me home”. The opening verse has no emotion of any kind. From this opening verse the reader gets an image of a college student just sitting wondering what is going on. The image makes him seen like a robot, because he is just sitting there showing no emotions, “counting bells” until his ...

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